New Orleans Red Beans

2 lbs. dry red kidney beans
2 c. onions, chopped
1 c. green bell pepper, chopped
1 c. red bell pepper, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
2 Tbl. garlic, minced
2 Tbls. fresh basil, chopped or 1 tsp. dried
1 lb. smoked ham, diced into small half inch squares
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced cross sectionally in quarter inch pieces
2 smoked ham hocks
1 bay leaf
1 Tbl. garlic powder
1 Tbl. salt
1/2 tsp. each white and black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 pt. smoked chicken or turkey stock

Place beans in a large kettle. Cover up to 1 inch over with tap water, add a dash of salt and bring to a hard boil for 3-4 minutes over high heat. Discard water through a collander and thoroughly rinse beans with tap water until water is clear. Add fresh water, covering beans two inches over. Add stock, ham hock and all seasonings, except vegetables and begin cooking by simmering over low fire. In a frying pan, preferably black cast iron, fry the sausage(which has been sliced in quarter inch pieces) until slightly crispy. Remove cooked sausage from pan and pat dry with paper towels to absorb excess fat. Add sausage to beans. Pour off excess fat from frying pan then add all vegetables to it except garlic, and saute until mixture is glassy. Add to the bean mixture along with the minced garlic and 1/2 of the ham diced. Cook beans over low simmering heat, stirring occasionally for approximately 1.5 hrs. Add remainder of ham and cook an additional 30 minutes or until beans are done. Serve over hot rice with freshly chopped onions on top. Makes 16 (1.5 cup servings)

Number of Servings: 16

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CRAIG46.